Keyboard game top of the class in schools test
The value of Keyboard Crazy, a board game designed by a parent to help develop children’s keyboard skills and ease them into effective use of computers, has been highlighted in a report by Canterbury Christ Church University.
Liverpool MP Peter Kilfoyle (above), who initiated the research in Walton schools, supported by United Utilities, said: “Keyboard crazy has been extensively trialled in schools across my constituency. The objective assessment of the scheme shows what a useful tool it is, not only in teaching keyboard skills but also in generally advancing literacy.
“Having closely watched the efforts of David Dodd and Robbie Bell to promote Keyboard Crazy over recent years , I am in no doubt - as an ex-teacher myself - that it is finally being accepted as a remarkable teaching aid within the primary sector.”
The summary of the Canterbury report, "Keyboard Crazy in Action in Walton Schools", revealed that teachers in the scheme "observed a change in pupils' attitudes towards learning generally, and pupil motivation when using Keyboard Crazy was extremely high". "Where baseline assessment was used, it demonstrated to teachers that standards had risen in specific areas of learning, although teachers observed an overall change in pupils' performance in many different aspects of their work...
"The main advantage of using Keyboard Crazy in the classroom is that it motivates pupils to want to learn; it changes pupils' attitude towards learning and increases their knowledge, skills and understanding in specific areas of literacy as well as improving keyboard skills generally."
The value of Keyboard Crazy, a board game designed by a parent to help develop children’s keyboard skills and ease them into effective use of computers, has been highlighted in a report by Canterbury Christ Church University.
Liverpool MP Peter Kilfoyle (above), who initiated the research in Walton schools, supported by United Utilities, said: “Keyboard crazy has been extensively trialled in schools across my constituency. The objective assessment of the scheme shows what a useful tool it is, not only in teaching keyboard skills but also in generally advancing literacy.
“Having closely watched the efforts of David Dodd and Robbie Bell to promote Keyboard Crazy over recent years , I am in no doubt - as an ex-teacher myself - that it is finally being accepted as a remarkable teaching aid within the primary sector.”
The summary of the Canterbury report, "Keyboard Crazy in Action in Walton Schools", revealed that teachers in the scheme "observed a change in pupils' attitudes towards learning generally, and pupil motivation when using Keyboard Crazy was extremely high". "Where baseline assessment was used, it demonstrated to teachers that standards had risen in specific areas of learning, although teachers observed an overall change in pupils' performance in many different aspects of their work...
"The main advantage of using Keyboard Crazy in the classroom is that it motivates pupils to want to learn; it changes pupils' attitude towards learning and increases their knowledge, skills and understanding in specific areas of literacy as well as improving keyboard skills generally."
The 46-page, full-colout report provides full, convincing analysis of the gains from using the game, which looks like a cross between a Scrabble set and a computer keyboard (see above), allowing children to play competitively against the clock to fill in words and numbers in activities controlled by their teachers. The report also gives extensive evaluative feedback on its use from each school taking part in the research.
Terry Bates, education manager at United Utilities, and Peter Kilfoyle, MP for Liverpool, Walton, presented all Walton primary schools with copies of the game in January 2008 to explore its use in the classroom over a period of six months. Sixteen Walton primary schools took part in the study - that's 101 classes, 5,175 pupils, 225 teachers and 140 teaching assistants. Sponsorship came from the education section of United Utilities.
Georgina Stein, with members of her team from the CLIENT research, development and publications unit at Canterbury Christ Church University, provided the schools with support and advice as well as access to a range of additional materials and resources via a virtual learning environment (VLE).
Following the trial period, CLIENT researchers conducted in-school interviews, and issued a questionnaire to all participants to measure Keyboard Crazy's impact on learning and teaching. The feedback from staff was that the game "provides pupils with a variety of different, and perhaps unique, opportunities to learn". In short, it was fun, it engaged the pupils and it succeeded in raising standards in keyboard skills and literacy. Peter Kilfoyle also points out its contributions to numeracy.
United Utilities education manager Terry Bates said the company was "delighted" with the positive findings of the report: “It confirmed and reinforced our previous experience of children using Keyboard Crazy in that… 'Keyboard Crazy motivates pupils to want to learn and enhances literacy and keyboard skills generally by making learning more fun’.
"United Utilities are now hoping that teachers will recognise this innovative approach to learning and adopt it in their teaching lesson plans in order to educate, entertain and stimulate their children’s learning experiences."
David Dodd, who invented the game, said, "This vindicates everything we have been saying for years, based on our own lengthy experience in classrooms throughout the UK. Our problem is one faced by other small outfits with good tools for teaching and learning: we don't have multimedia, glitz or big-budget marketing but we do have a product that is very effective and does exactly what it claims. And keyboard skills are likely to be important in learning with computers for at least another generation."
Schools ICT provider Ramesys, a company with a strong profile in the Government's Building Schools for the Future programme, has added Keyboard Crazy to its portfolio of effective products and services for classroom use. Dave Nicholls, licensing and content director with Ramesys, commented: "We are delighted to add Keyboard Crazy to the Ramesys portfolio of learning solutions. Ramesys aims to make available to all schools the most effective educational content available at best value prices. The addition of Keyboard Crazy adds further strength and depth to our range: we will be promoting it widely."
Find out more:
A summary of the report is downloadable from:
http://client.canterbury.ac.uk
Full report from:
Terry Bates at United Utilities:
Tel: 01257 427 875
Email: terry.bates@uuplc.co.uk
